30 Years of Archives of a British Officer in the Middle East

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

Harford Jones is one of those men today forgotten who have made history. His archives containing more than 3,000 pieces had been kept by his family, and resurface at Sotheby's in London on July 14.

These are mainly letters, covering thirty years of his career, from 1783 to 1811. From the age of 19 he was in Basra, as agent of the East India Company, for which he became the resident in Baghdad. His diplomatic skills earned him the honor of creating the position of British minister to Persia, then residing in Teheran.

This man who was deemed violent witnessed the violent events of his time. The British needed people like him to counteract the aims of the Napoleonic Empire in the region. The challenge of controlling the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf was India.

Intrigues, local conflicts, large and small political maneuvering will live again for the historian who will buy this set of documents, estimated K £ 150.

According to British tradition, he is found in the dictionary under the name he had at his death, Sir Harford Jones Brydges. Always careful to reward his officers, the British crown had appointed him a Baronet in 1807.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

It is always difficult to predict the price of a set of actual historical documents. The very good price obtained, 217 K £ including premium, shows that it is not always the best-known people who are most important.

This confirms my above formula that Harford Jones is one of the men who made history.